Foundation trains students on menstrual health mgt.

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), has partnered Keffi Local Government in Nasarawa State, to create awareness on menstrual health management.

The event took place recently with sensitisation on secondary school students in Keffi .

The students were urged to end to shame and stigma on menstruation.

To ensure effectiveness in the campaign, AHF, instituted a sanitary pad bank in collaboration with Keffi LG, Keffi Primary Healthcare Agency and Keffi Ministry of Women Affairs, to ensure availability of sanitary pads for girls.

Speaking, Dr Emma Nwabueze, Medical Director AHF Nigeria said that the Foundation was creating awareness, to end stigma around menstruation while ensuring young women and girls have access to menstrual pads.

Nwabueze said that the process of menstruation had caused many girls to stay out of school due to financial inability to purchase pads, misconception and myths around menstruation, hence the need to create awareness.

``We used this opportunity to come to keffi to educate the women, girl child, male child and everybody on issues surrounding menstrual stigma.

``Some of our girls miss school because they are on their menstrual period, some do not go to school because their parents do not have money to buy the products.

``Some of our girls cannot open up and tell their parents about what is happening to their body, that is why we are here to advocate and tell people that menstruation is clean not dirty, he said.

He said that the sanitary pad bank by AHF in collaboration with its partners was to ensure continuous availability of pads in facilities for girls in school and out of school during emergency situations.

Also speaking, Executive Chairman Keffi LG, Mr Muhammed Baba-Shehu represented by the Secretary Keffi LG Mr Muhammed Adamu, applauded the Foundation for choosing Keffi LG as one of its beneficiaries for the program.

``It is a thing of joy to see that we are direct beneficiaries of this program. AHF have done marvellously well in such a silent area that affects our women and girls.

``However, on the side of the local government, we intend to collaborate with the Foundation and we are giving the assurance that we will do our best to contribute to the pad bank.

``We will also see how we can train our people to produce the sanitary pads to benefit our women and girls,’ he said.

Baba-Shehu further urged parents, teachers and guidance to support their children to end shame and discrimination when menstruating and ensure they maintain good hygiene.

On her part, Mrs Aisha Basha, Supervisory Counsellor Women Affairs Keffi LG, said the Ministry was saddled with the responsibility of educating young women and girls on menstrual health and management.

Basha said the sensitisation was aimed at breaking the silence on stigma and shame as it affects menstruation.

``This is important because we realise that most of our children are shy especially when they are growing into the reproductive stage.

``They do not want to discuss any issue concerning menstruation or any changes in their body to their parents, as they prefer to hide and deal with the situation themselves,’ she said.

Human rights activist appeals to President Tinubu to be sensitive to Nigerians needs

From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

AUnited Kingdom based human rights activist, Akeem Dan Farauta has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to be sensitive to the sensibilities of Nigerians and put people first before profit on the matter of fuel subsidy removal.

He stated this in a statement made available to the media in Kaduna Yesterday.

According to him, what Nigerians need at this time is succour from the crafty dictatorial hard grip on them by Buhari administration.

He warned that President Tinubu hit the ground running approach is heating up the polity and deliberately shielding the Buhari government from all the political and socioeconomic atrocities committed during their eight years in power.

He added that this brought the country as of today to a state of comatose and abysmal as can be seen evidence on the level of perfidious excruciating poverty infestations on ordinary citizens of Nigeria cutting across north south east and west of the country.

“Mr President Bola Ahmed Tinubu the good you can do for Nigerians now is to respond to their felt need which is to alleviate their suffering by providing food and security then the Muslim Muslim ticket of yourself and your Vice will make sense.

“With the level of decadence resulting from hunger and poverty in the land, even if it’s Devil Devil ticket that will make life more meaningful for Nigerians at this time Nigerians are ready to follow them.”